Paris, Nov. 19 : Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin is to stand trial over an alleged smear campaign that he launched against Nicolas Sarkozy before he became the President of France.

De Villepin has been ordered to stand trial in a criminal court, reports The Telegraph.

De Villepin is accused of orchestrating the leak in 2004 of a faked list of account-holders at the Clearstream bank in Luxembourg, which included Sarkozy''s name.

The names were supposed to have benefited from illegal commissions from arms sales.

Paris  - Renault is showcasing a three-in-one concept of the Sand'Up at the Sao Paulo Motor Show. The new take combines aspects of a pick-up, convertible and coupe.

Based on the concept version of the Dacia Sandero hatchback, the Sand'Up allows three body structures with a load area that can be extended by 40 centimetres to 1.7 metres when the seats are folded down.

In addition, the Sand'Up can be fitted with a hard-top roof. It also features electro-hydraulic doors and a split tailgate. The 45- centimetre wheels are fitted with 235/50 off-road tyres.

Paris  - French carmaker Citroen is giving the 2009 model of the C1 a makeover. The new look includes a modified front and a more economical engine, which should lower fuel consumption to 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres.

The one-litre engine, with an output of 50 kilowatts/68 horsepower, has been adjusted so that carbon dioxide emissions are only 106 grammes per kilometre. Production of the Hdi 55-diesel version will end because of poor demand.

PARIS, Nov. 18th, 2008: The Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura and representative of H. H Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, UAE Supreme Council member and ruler of Sharjah Abdullah Al Owais awarded the 2008 Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to Egyptian Professor Gaber Asfour and Portuguese author Adalberto Alves in a ceremony in the Organization's Headquarters in Paris.

Present at the ceremony were UAE Ambassador to France Abdullah Al Ameri as well as members of the diplomatic corps in Paris, Matsura said the Award.

Paris - France is planning to hold another international summit on the economic crisis in January, the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday.

Sarkozy and former British prime minister Tony Blair will co-host the summit, which will be held on January 8 and 9 in Paris.

Those who have already agreed to participate include Nobel Prize- winning economists Josef Stiglitz and Amartya Sen as well as US philosopher Francis Fukuyama.

Paris - The French Socialist Party and its self-appointed diva, former presidential candidate Segolene Royal, are fighting for their political survival, and it is not a pretty sight.

After last weekend's bad-tempered party congress in Reims failed to choose a leader or a platform, the party's more than 168,000 dues-paying members are to vote for a new head on Thursday - and if necessary, on Friday.

The vote will be decisive for Royal's political future, and could also be critical for the chances of the Socialists to unseat President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012.